Did you know there is such a thing as Escargot Caviar? Well there certainly is and I am lucky enough to have connected with one of the few “snail farmers” in the world. Lori Anne McBride is a pioneer in this unique field.
Lori Anne McBride the snail farmer/owner of Perle de Blanc
Photo Credit: Albuquerque the Magazine
Her career as a snail farmer began because she started noticing snails in her home garden in Albuquerque, New Mexico a little over 4 years ago. One evening Lori Anne had some friends over for a few glasses of champagne and then they decided to strap on headlamps and have a snail collecting contest. Can’t you just picture this comical crew? But it turned out to be a true aha moment. The snails were not only edible, but they were the very same species served in some of the best restaurants in Europe. Following that epiphany Lori Anne started hosting escargot themed parties annually. She also started doing extensive research into the snail business. It may have started out as a fun way to host an annual gathering of family and friends but it has grown into a very real business that she has named Perle de Blanc, specializing in escargot caviar which looks like tiny white pearls.
After working in the wine industry for over 13 years Lori Anne developed a penchant for elegant and adventurous cuisine because she was given the opportunity to travel the world. She became an escargot expert in the process. She says that it’s “through that experience I found out how much freshness, local sourcing and getting your foods as close as possible to where you actually prepare them can make such a huge difference.” So she continued her research into the snail farming industry and learned that it was virtually nonexistent in the United States. Piece by piece she managed to cull enough information to be confident in her ability to start her own business, and Perle de Blanc is French for white pearls. She is the only person in America who focuses on the caviar as opposed to the escargot. Escargot caviar is actually more sustainable than caviar harvested from fish because the snails can survive that harvesting process, which the fish cannot.
Because of their appealing appearance, mouthfeel and taste, Lori Anne is on the verge of something greater a few reasons. “They’re prized one, for their texture. Two, they’re expensive and it’s considered a delicacy – most people love them because they taste like absolutely nothing”, she explains. “They taste like a water bubble popped in your mouth. They really do have this firm texture that
you look for in caviar, and then they’re tasteless.” But they are only tasteless until she expertly flavors them with a variety of seasonings and flavors. In fact, Perle de Blanc will eventually offer 28 flavors, but some are actually still in development. Some of the Escargot Caviars on her website include basil, eucalyptus, grapefruit, lavender, peppermint, tea tree, and tangerine.
A beautiful 1 ounce tin of Perle de Blanc Escargot Caviar
Photo Credit: Albuquerque the Magazine
Just like traditional caviar, Perle de Blanc is sold by the ounce and is expensive. Though she hasn’t divulged to me what she charges for her product, she has told me that the cheapest she has seen it for an ounce is $150 and that is coming from the other side of the world. Since freshness is such a huge part of Perle de Blanc’s appeal the demand is growing by leaps and bounds. When I spoke with Lori Anne she was still farming the snails and their eggs in her yard at home by using habitats and enclosures that she built herself. But by now the temperature-controlled greenhouse that was under construction is probably ready for use which will enable much more efficient production. She says “Escargot can hibernate in the winter and the summer, the hottest part and the coldest part, but if they’re in the right conditions they can mate and produce eggs all year round. It’s all about temperature,”
Escargots gather on a plank of wood
Photo Credit: Albuquerque the Magazine
She adheres to a meticulous “purging” process for her snails that she claims is the most extensive anywhere in the United States. Once a batch of snails is foraged, they stay in a container with only organic soil and plants for three weeks to a month, eating carrots, sage, leaves, kale and the like. That’s where most escargot farmers stop. But she continues the process by moving them to a different container with no soil for approximately two weeks, where they’re allowed to eat while “getting rid of any kind of dirt or grit in their system.” After that they are transferred to a container with nothing but cornmeal and water. After a couple of weeks there, the purging process is complete and some impressive specimens have emerged. “It is pure snail. Just escargot. They’re plump, their texture is amazing,” she says. “I’ve said before that my kids don’t eat as healthy as my snails do. I think my snails are the healthiest eaters that I know. Seriously. They get the good stuff more than anybody.”
Harvesting the tiny white pearls.
Photo Credit: Albuquerque the Magazine
“Being the first to market something like this from New Mexico in the United States is really cool.” For now she is supplying mostly to New Mexico and Colorado where she already has established connections from her years in the wine business. But of course, she hopes to grow those connections as her production increases. Not everyone has adventurous palates but she has been able to convert some of the most conservative skeptics with one taste. “Everything’s been positive,” she says. “I have a few friends that are steak and potatoes, chain restaurant eating people…even though escargot was completely out of their element, “they’ll try the escargot and be blown away. Then they’ll do the caviar and it’s super hard for them mentally, but I haven’t had one person not like it. Not one. Not even a medium response to it. It’s pretty cool.”
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